Giant Midwest Bass Eat Swimbaits Too!

Tim traveled 2500 miles to throw swimbaits and topwater for BIG bass in the Midwest and it worked! The big Michigan Smallmouth fell victim to the the swimbait just like their cousins out West. Time after time we're reminded that a bass is a bass, no matter where they swim.

We get asked over and over again if our techniques will work in a particular state or on a particular lake. Anglers constantly overlook the simple truth that all bass are inherently the same. They live in different environments but their feeding activity, movements, behavior, etc... are all identical.

Swimbaits work from coast to coast. Topwater, finesse, reaction, etc... will catch bass EVERYWHERE when the conditions are right. In today's video Tim gives a detailed step-by-step look at a day on the water in Northern Michigan as he breaks down the lake, locates the giant bass, and uses a handful of key baits to consistently put them in the boat.

Below is a breakdown of the gear he used to accomplish this feat:

Baits...

S-Waver 168 Swimbait (Light Trout): http://bit.ly/2aiu8Sh

Reaction Innovations Vixen (Bone): http://bit.ly/2rp11nr

Matt Allen Swimbait Head: http://bit.ly/29RrTYN

Keitech 4.3 Fat Swimbait: http://bit.ly/2ab7s8v

Strike King Dream Shot: http://bit.ly/2aAoUoR

Vixen Modifications...

Split Ring- Owner Hyperwire #3: http://bit.ly/2v8ArBX

Front Hooks- Owner ST-36 Size 4: http://bit.ly/2cWpeyw

Rear Treble- Owner Feather Treble Size 4: http://bit.ly/2dJH8V6

Sunglasses For Clear Water/Cloudy Skies (Copper Lenses): http://bit.ly/2glE3eN

Trolling Motor- Minn Kota Ulterra: http://bit.ly/2PoYlTd

S Waver Combo...

Rod- G Loomis GLX 894C JWR: http://bit.ly/2gqziwT

Reel- Metanium MGL: http://bit.ly/2ezIBfB

Line- Sunline XPlasma 50 lb: http://bit.ly/2OR5i2j

Leader- Maxima Ultragreen 20 lb: http://bit.ly/2ae97J9

Vixen Combo...

Rod- G Loomis IMX Pro 845 CBR: http://bit.ly/2og0BmK

Reel- Chronarch MGL: http://bit.ly/2n8DghB

Line- Sufix 832 50 lb: http://bit.ly/2ae93Ji

Leader- Maxima Ultragreen 15 lb: http://bit.ly/2ae97J9

________________________________________________________________

Need Apparel? Tacticalbassin Gear is in stock! Get your hats, Hoodies, and sunshirts by emailing Tacticalbassinapparel@gmail.com

Winter Fishing: Top 5 Baits for Cold Water Bass

With winter fast approaching most lakes have turned over and the bass have headed for warmer deep water haunts. "Deep" is a relative term that varies lake to lake but when bass head for the depths a lot of anglers lose confidence.

In this week's video we break down our favorite baits for seeking out those deep water bass. This list may be missing some baits you expect but when the going gets tough, these 5 options are consistent producers.

1) A Football Jig: Tim and I vary a little on our specific choices. I lean toward a 1/2 oz or heavier Dirty Jigs Finesse Football (Give "Go To" or "Super Matt Brown" those colors are deadly). Tim takes it a step further and will occasionally go as light as 3/8 oz with his Dirty Jigs HP Football Jig. Why go with a light weight in deep water, you ask? With the lighter weight comes a smaller hook, allowing you to drop to lighter line and even throw the jig on a spinning rod if conditions require.

2) A Drop Shot: Tried and true, this bait is deadly in deep water! Tim likes to downsize, often using a size 2 Owner Mosquito hook with a small tungsten weight. He insists that the light hook allows his bait to have maximum action in deep water. As for baits, he uses a wide range of options but a 6" Roboworm Margarita Mutilator is a proven winter time color.

View fullsize

3) Ball Head: The ball head is such a simplistic way to fish and consistently catches quality fish in the cold water months. Much like a darthead, you should thread the worm on so the point of the hook is left exposed. The difference between a ball head and virtually every other head design is that it has almost no action of its own. This is a drawback most of the year but when the water is cold that "dead action" drives the fish crazy. Tim and I both agree, a 5" senko is your best option with this presentation. Day in and day out, it gets a significantly larger bite than smaller worms.

4) A Jigging Spoon: The spoon is a deadly bait throughout the fall but don't lose faith as cooler temps take over and the bass become lethargic. Using a very subtle flip-flop approach, keeping the jig on bottom at all times, is a phenomenal way to get a big bite in winter. Matt prefers the Blade Runner DUH spoon for its ideal weight, size, and color schemes.

5) The Small Swimbait: I prefer the 6" Basstrix or the 4.8 Keitech coupled with 1/2 oz Matt Allen Signature Swimbait Head. With an exposed lead head its very easy to maintain bottom contact. From rock to gravel, sand to mud, you'll feel every change in contour and the bite will be unmistakable. For this method I maintain constant bottom contact and swim the bait as slowly as I can stand. It presents a sizable but slow moving meal to the bass that is hard to resist.

This Winter, consider not getting your boat winterized. Instead, head for the lake! The bass are still there and they still need to feed. You may be surprised to find that some of your biggest bites of the year come when the water temperature is below 50 degrees.